Free US Passport Card Photo Online — Make a 2×2 in (51×51 mm) Photo

Need a US passport card photo? Upload a recent photo and IDPhotoBy sizes and crops it to the U.S. Department of State's standard — a 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) photo with your head 25–35 mm (about 1 to 1 3/8 inches) from chin to crown on a plain white or off-white background — with the US Passport Card document already selected. The passport card uses the same photo as the passport book, so the same file works whether you print a photo for your passport card or upload it as your digital photo for online renewal. It is free — no payment required.

The U.S. Department of State sets the requirements for a US passport card photo, and IDPhotoBy checks your photo against them. Here is what the State Department requires:

• Size 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) — a square, color photo taken in the last 6 months.
• Head size 25–35 mm — measured from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head (about 1 to 1 3/8 inches), with your head and shoulders centered. Your hair may extend past the edges of the photo, as long as your entire head is shown and is the appropriate size.
• Plain white or off-white background — free of shadows, and plain without texture, objects or lines.
• Neutral expression — you can smile, but keep your eyes open and your mouth closed, looking straight at the camera.
• No glasses — take off any eyeglasses, sunglasses or tinted glasses before the photo.
• Even lighting — with no shadows on your face or behind you.

The US passport card is a wallet-sized, plastic card that has no visa pages — a different document from the passport book. But the photo is not different. The State Department uses the same DS-11 and DS-82 forms for both: the first step on the form is to select whether you want a passport book, a passport card, or both, and each uses the same photo standard. So every requirement on this page — 2×2 inches (51×51 mm), the 25–35 mm head size, the plain white or off-white background — is exactly the same one that applies to the passport book.

The card and book are different documents, so make sure you are applying for the right one before you submit — the State Department's official "Compare a Passport Card and Book" page explains the differences. Whichever you choose, IDPhotoBy prepares the identical 2×2 inch photo.

The US passport card photo size is 2×2 inches, which is 51×51 mm (about 5.1×5.1 cm) — a square photo with your head centered. Some people call it a passport card picture, but the rules are the passport-photo rules. For a printed photo you bring or mail in with a paper application, that 2×2 inch print at photo resolution is what the passport agency expects.

If you renew your passport card online, you upload a digital passport card photo instead. The State Department accepts a JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF file sized between 54 KB and 10 MB. IDPhotoBy outputs a square file at print resolution that lands well inside that range, so the same photo prints correctly and passes the digital-upload size limits. Not everyone is eligible to renew online — some applicants must apply in person — so check travel.state.gov to see which applies to you.

• Upload a recent, well-lit photo with the tool on this page — the US Passport Card document is already selected.
• IDPhotoBy resizes and crops your photo to 2×2 inches (51×51 mm) with your head at the required size, and checks that your background is a plain white or off-white with no shadows.
• Preview the result — check the head size and position, the plain background, and that your eyes are open and clearly visible.
• Download the finished photo free, then print it at 2×2 inches or upload the digital file for online renewal.

The free US passport card photo maker doubles as a size checker and resizer for a passport card photo you already have — there is no app to download, it runs online in your browser.

IDPhotoBy sizes and crops the photo you upload to the 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) US standard and checks that the background is a plain white or off-white without shadows. It does not retouch, beautify or otherwise edit your face. That matters here: the State Department tells you to submit the original, unchanged photo, and not to change it using computer software, phone apps, filters or artificial intelligence. So your face is left exactly as it is — only the framing, size and background are prepared.

Cropping and repositioning are fine — the State Department itself lets you crop or reposition your photo when you upload it for online renewal, which is exactly what this tool does. What we do not do is promise your photo will be accepted; no online tool can. Your file is prepared to the published State Department requirements, and the passport agency makes the final decision. And it stays free: no paid plan, no per-photo charge and no skip-the-line fee.

You do not need a studio. You can take a US passport card photo at home with a phone and still get a compliant result:

• Stand about 60 cm (2 feet) in front of a plain white or off-white wall, in soft, even daylight so there are no shadows behind you or on your face.
• Face the camera straight on, with a natural expression and your eyes open. Have someone take the photo, or use a timer, and hold the phone at eye level.
• Fill the frame with your head and the top of your shoulders, then upload it here and let IDPhotoBy crop it to the exact 2×2 inch size.

The same steps work for a child's passport card photo — take it within the last 6 months so it still looks like the applicant, with the eyes open if you can.

Requirements can change — check the official U.S. Department of State passport rules (travel.state.gov) before you apply; they are the final authority on whether a photo is accepted.